- NYC: Government day prison system bans AI for younger inmates
Source: ABC 7 Eyewitness News
“Nearly 600,000 New York City public school students will be barred from using artificial intelligence in the classroom and face strict new limits on screen time under a sweeping technology policy Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels are expected to unveil Wednesday. The policy, believed to be the most restrictive of its kind in the nation, would prohibit generative AI tools, including chatbots, AI tutors and instructional programs, for all students through eighth grade. Only high school students would be permitted to use AI, and even then under what officials describe as ‘restricted’ access rules.” (09/02/26)
https://abc7ny.com/post/new-york-city-public-schools-banning-ai-use-middle-school-year/19778716/
- In “crisis preparedness” move, Netherlands moves billions in gold to London
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The Dutch central bank (DNB) has confirmed that billions of dollars in gold has been taken out of north America and relocated to London, citing ‘increasing geopolitical unrest’. DNB said on Wednesday that 86 tonnes of gold had been removed from the US and Canada in a complex operation that took several months. It is now being held by the Bank of England, where the precious metal can be traded more easily ‘in a crisis situation’. Bank president Olaf Sleijpen said the move was ‘necessary to strengthen our resilience and preparedness’. The decision comes amid an ongoing trade dispute between the US and Canada, with both countries announcing fresh tariffs on each other after failed trade talks.” (09/02/26)
- Germany: Explosion near train station injures two
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“An explosion near a German train station followed by the discovery of a suspicious object caused police to temporarily close the transport hub in the southern city of Augsburg on Wednesday morning. Later in the morning, police said the suspicious object had been identified as harmless and that the train station was reopened again at 10 a.m. and trains starting running again. … An unidentified object exploded in a passageway near the station at around 3:15 a.m. local time, according to officials, causing minor injuries to two people. The people injured were a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, both of whom are Ukrainian citizens, the German news agency dpa reported.” (09/02/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/explosion-germany-train-station-9.7329026
- Chevron expanding in Venezuela as Trump deal claims more oil reserves
Source: SFGate
“Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it will expand its operations in Venezuela, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to ‘stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,’ as he pushed back against a fresh wave of taunts from Washington. Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington becomes serious about negotiations. And a record percentage of Americans — about 9 in 10 — 89% — believe there’s widespread corruption in the U.S. government, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday. That’s up 10 percentage points from last year.” (09/02/26)
- Hegseth removes six Army officers from promotion list
Source: WAVY 10 News
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spiked the names of at least six Army officers from a list for promotions to two-star generals, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Hill Tuesday. The removals come just days after the Pentagon chief blocked promotions of four Army officers selected to ascend to one-star rank …. Earlier this year, the defense secretary similarly pulled four Army officers, two women and two [b]lack men, from a one-star general promotion list — to the displeasure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other top officials. Driscoll handed his resignation to the White House on Monday and is set to depart the Trump administration after a months-long turf war with Hegseth, a move that further signals the defense secretary’s aim to impose his will on the service branch.” (09/02/26)
https://www.wavy.com/news/national/hegseth-removes-6-army-officers-from-promotion-list/
- El Salvador’s Bitcoin Stash Grows to 7,762 BTC Despite IMF Reservations
Source: Bitcoin.com
“El Salvador’s national bitcoin reserve grew again this week, with the government confirming its holdings now stand at 7,762 BTC. The purchase continues a policy of buying one bitcoin per day regardless of its price (ever since the country became the first nation to make bitcoin legal tender in 2021). … the accumulation has continued despite a $1.4 billion IMF financing agreement that explicitly asked El Salvador to confine its public-sector bitcoin purchases and make merchant acceptance voluntary. Bitcoin’s formal legal-tender status was rescinded through a legislative amendment tied to that same IMF deal, but the reserve-buying policy was never part of the rollback.” (09/02/26)
https://news.bitcoin.com/crypto-news/el-salvador-bitcoin-reserve-7762-btc/
- Congo’s Ebola outbreak shows no signs of slowing as deaths top 3,000
Source: SFGate
“Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of more than 6,100 confirmed cases, according to the latest government data from Wednesday, as the disease is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak has recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths since it was declared a global health emergency in mid-May. It remains the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola ever. Jean-Claude Angwanzia, a resident of Bunia, said that he left Mambassa in the epicenter of Ituri province, because he didn’t feel safe. He said that he hardly saw health workers and infected bodies were being mishandled, prompting safety concerns. ‘I had to flee the area because of the danger looming over us,’ he said. The pace of the outbreak is putting a strain on people’s lives.” (09/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/deaths-in-congo-s-fast-moving-ebola-outbreak-22413912.php
- US House censures Edwards for conduct toward former female staffers
Source: Dallas Morning News
“The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office. A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office. … [House Ethics Committee chair Michael] Guest said that behavior included providing the aides with lavish gifts, making comments about their appearance and dress, sending notes regarding his affection and inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations. He also said Edwards was aware that the women were uncomfortable with his behavior.” (09/01/26)
- After record 250 days at sea, US sailors arrive in Thailand’s Pattaya
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break. The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes. When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will be treading in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R – rest and relaxation – during the Vietnam War. They transformed it from a sleepy fishing village to one of the world’s most famous and frenetic party towns. Today the neon-lit alleys running down to the beach are much quieter than usual. The bars in the city’s famous Walking Street still screen videos on their walls of pole-dancing women, trying to lure customers inside.” (09/02/26)
- Denmark: Regime sends military slaves to Greenland as Arctic tensions grow
Source: US News & World Report
“For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic after U.S. demands to acquire the territory. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the first cohort under Denmark’s new extended conscription programme, aimed at producing soldiers able to operate in one of the kingdom’s most strategically important and challenging regions. … The conscripts are taking part in Arctic Endurance, a Danish military exercise that trains soldiers for combat and survival in extreme cold-weather conditions.” (09/02/26)
- KS: Warnock did it; Adam Hamilton wants to follow as a pastor/US senator
Source: SFGate
“If Kansas megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton manages to pull off an upset victory in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, he’d join a very small group. In the past 100 years, only incumbent Raphael Warnock of Georgia has accomplished what Hamilton aspires to do: serve in the Senate while continuing to lead his congregation. Warnock has continued to preach regularly as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since his election as Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021. Hamilton has made clear that if he wins, he would like to continue as senior pastor — preaching 12 to 18 times a year — at the Church of the Resurrection. With roughly 25,000 members in the Kansas City area, it’s the nation’s largest United Methodist church. Warnock, in a video on U.S. Senate Democrats’ Facebook page, discusses how he melds his political and pastoral careers. ‘They are both about working for people even as you walk alongside them,’ he said.” (09/02/26)
- Stanford student journalists win First Amendment victory over free speech
Source: SFGate
“A federal judge has delivered a First Amendment victory to a student news outlet at Stanford University. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that immigration provisions that allowed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke student visas had a chilling effect on noncitizen student journalists at the Stanford Daily. Wise wrote that portions of two federal immigration provisions are unconstitutional when used against noncitizens for speech protected by the First Amendment. The Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation brought the lawsuit alongside two anonymous students unaffiliated with Stanford, though one student was later dismissed from the case. The plaintiffs were represented pro bono by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE. ‘The reporters in our newsroom shouldn’t have to fear that writing a story will result in their deportation,’ Daily editor-in-chief George Porteous wrote following the ruling. ‘Today’s victory means they won’t have to.'” (08/31/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/stanford-students-free-speech-22411413.php
- MA: Markey, 80, wins Democratic Senate primary over opponent who called for generational change
Source: Associated Press
“U.S. Sen. Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts’[s] Senate primary Tuesday, once again fending off a push for generational change as he seeks a third term. Markey, 80, defeated U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, who had attempted to argue that it was time to do away with the ‘status quo’ in his pursuit to oust the octogenarian. Yet Markey successfully pointed to Moulton’s more moderate positions to argue that it was Moulton — not the older incumbent — who was out of touch with the state’s voters.” (09/02/26)
- US, Iranian regimes exchange more attacks as lull in war appears over
Source: Reuters
“The U.S. and Iran were back on a war footing on Wednesday after the most significant exchange of fire in weeks, with Washington threatening more devastating strikes, while Iran condemned an attack that it said killed five and wounded dozens of civilians at a wedding. The U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defenses, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday, with Iranian media reporting hits on multiple targets near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway where Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to pass without authorization. Iran said it struck U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, according to official statements. The IRGC said it killed a large number of U.S. forces in Jordan, but two U.S. officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.” (09/02/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-iran-exchange-attacks-lull-war-appears-over-2026-09-02/
- Shutdown Theater performances canceled as Congress funds regime until December
Source: The Hill
“The House on Tuesday voted to send a short-term extension of government funding to President Trump’s desk, avoiding a politically risky shutdown before the midterm elections. The continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through Dec. 11, passed the House on a 370-48 vote, with 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting in opposition. The Senate advanced the measure by a landslide last month. The CR now pushes the spending battle to before the holidays, when the outcome of the midterms will help determine how much leverage each party holds to set the spending agenda.” (09/01/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6063667-house-government-funding-cr-shutdown-midterms
- UT: Judge Lets Case Against Suspect in Charlie Kirk Killing Go to Trial
Source: New York Times
“A Utah judge found on Tuesday that prosecutors had enough evidence to try the man accused of killing the conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year and said they could seek the death penalty. The highly anticipated ruling by Judge Tony Graf was a major step in one of the country’s most scrutinized murder cases. It came nearly a year after Mr. Kirk was assassinated during an open-air speaking event attended by thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem. … [Tyler] Robinson’s lawyers have tried to delay the case with procedural fights and have questioned DNA and ballistic evidence tying Mr. Robinson to the killing on Sept. 10. But they have not offered a concrete defense, apart from arguing that Mr. Robinson should not face the death penalty.” (09/01/26)
- EU’s Kallas labels Leipzig drone attack “state-sponsored terrorism”
Source: Politico
“The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said Wednesday that the thwarted drone attack at Leipzig-Halle Airport bore ‘all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism,’ after Germany blamed Russia for the incident. Speaking as the bloc’s foreign ministers gather in Wicklow, Ireland, Kallas said Germany’s attribution sent a ‘very strong signal’ and praised EU governments for closing ranks behind Berlin. … Berlin formally blamed Moscow on Tuesday for the Aug. 4 incident, in which three explosive-laden drones were detected around Leipzig-Halle Airport. Germany announced retaliatory diplomatic measures and plans to seek fresh EU sanctions. Russia denies any involvement.” (09/02/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/kaja-kallas-labels-leipzig-drone-attack-state-sponsored-terrorism/
- MO: City councilman recalled after supporting corporate welfare for data center
Source: KMBC 9 News
“Voters in Independence have successfully recalled a councilman after his vote to approve a multibillion-dollar data center. District 1 Councilman John Perkins was recalled during a special election on Tuesday, with unofficial final results showing over 68 percent of voters in the district supported the recall. … Perkins, in March, voted to approve a proposed data center on 400 acres near Missouri 78 and Little Blue Parkway. He was one of five who voted to support the data center. … McKenna Cobb, who filed the recall petition, criticized the council’s decision to approve significant tax incentives for the project. ‘There’s hours of public testimony and they still vote in favor of billions of dollars in tax incentives,’ Cobb said.” [editor’s note: They left the corporate welfare part for the end of the story; it wasn’t just an “anti-data-center” thing – TLK] (09/01/26)
https://www.kmbc.com/article/independence-john-perkins-recall-data-center-election/73586616
- Trump vows US will take “all” of Venezuela’s oil as deal details emerge
Source: euronews [EU]
“The White House has published the terms of its Venezuela oil deal, naming the private company at its centre and confirming Washington’s majority control of more than 65 billion barrels, as President Trump vowed the US would be taking ‘all’ of it. … Venezuela’s interim authorities have granted NABEP 100-year concessions over 17 fields with the agreement signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The Venezuelan reserves dwarf America’s own, as the 65 billion barrels covered by the concessions compare with roughly 46 billion across US territory. Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, US President Donald Trump called the reserves ‘unbelievable value that was sitting dormant’ and added that the US is ‘going to be taking all of that. We’re going to be taking that oil out.'” (09/01/26)
- Whistle-Blower Says Trump Officials Are Defying Court Orders on Election-Rigging Scheme
Source: New York Times
“A U.S. Postal Service official has alleged that the agency is moving forward with a ‘secretive, rushed’ effort to implement President Trump’s order exerting federal control over mail voting, despite a court order blocking those plans. The official filed a whistle-blower report, published on Tuesday morning by the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asserting that the ‘risky and haphazard’ implementation of Mr. Trump’s order could lead to a ‘catastrophic failure’ in the mail ballot system ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The report said that the agency had planned to complete the new digital system overseeing mail ballots by Sept. 1. ‘Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,’ the official said in the report, which was prepared with the assistance of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents people seeking to expose potential lawbreaking.” (09/01/26)
- The Root Causes of the Wars in Iran and Ukraine
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“If we are ever to get our country back on the right track, it is imperative that we never forget that the U.S. national-security state and its foreign policy of interventionism are responsible for the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Let’s start with Iran. It’s obviously tempting to simply blame President Trump for launching his undeclared war of aggression against Iran. But the root cause of what has become a tar baby for Trump goes back a lot further — to the CIA’s coup in Iran in 1953 — a coup that destroyed Iran’s experiment with democracy.” (09/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/09/02/the-root-causes-of-the-wars-in-iran-and-ukraine/
- Why are so many Vance allies leaving the administration?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols & Kelley Beaucar Vlahos“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week, raising a flurry of questions about whether his departure is part of a larger political reordering that has pushed skeptics of President Donald Trump’s war policies to the margins. A long-time friend of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll drew widespread praise for his efforts to modernize the Army. But he has clashed with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth …. Driscoll’s departure is the latest in a string of recent high-profile exits by Vance’s allies and ideological fellow travelers, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Deputy National Security Adviser Andy Baker, White House Director of Legislative Affairs James Braid, and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent.” (09/02/26)
- The Twin Tragedies of the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace
Source: Common Dreams
by Connie Peck“Established by Congress in 1984, with legislation signed by Ronald Reagan and funded annually by Congress, the United States Institute of Peace, or USIP, was a well-respected, authoritative, independent, officially nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, until it was eviscerated by President Donald Trump early last year. Its purpose was to promote conflict prevention and resolution worldwide and to provide analysis, research, and training in diplomacy, mediation, and peace-related activities. … Although the institute’s extremely useful database was wantonly destroyed, one can see the breadth and depth of its important work by sampling some of its publications here.” (09/02/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/tragedies-donald-trump-peace
- Faucism and the Tyranny of Prevailing Opinion
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein“The foundation of a free society and a fully human life rests on our commitment to the independent use of conscience.” (09/02/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/faucism-and-the-tyranny-of-prevailing
- Edith Sampson vs. the Illusions of Communism
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed“As the Kremlin sought to portray American democracy as hypocritical and the Soviet Union as a more promising future for mankind, its propagandists made much of racial injustice in the United States, while exploiting internal tensions throughout the West to stir dissent. In response, the US sought out a level-headed Black American who could challenge Paul Robeson’s claims and speak on the dangers of communism. Edith Sampson became that emerging voice during the World Town Hall in 1949, where she earned headlines for publicly denouncing Soviet propaganda about America. Sampson, at the time, was a prominent leader in the National Council of Negro Women while serving as assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, Illinois.” (09/02/26)
https://fee.org/articles/edith-sampson-vs-the-illusions-of-communism/
- Kennedy Gets It Half Right
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance“Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on a mission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). This implies that America was healthy at one time but is not healthy now. Is this actually the case? How is something like this even measured? Can America be made healthy again? MAHA does not stand for Make Americans Healthy Again. So what exactly does it mean to make America, a country, healthy again?” (09/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/kennedy-gets-it-half-right/
- Trump’s boat strikes are illegal. Does it matter?
Source: The Hill
by Jeffrey Stein“From the beginning, the boat strikes campaign has been widely condemned as lawless. Contrary to President Trump’s absurd claims, the U.S. is not and cannot be in a formal armed conflict with the unnamed drug cartels supposedly targeted in these attacks. The boat strikes are therefore nothing more than premeditated killings of civilians. A chorus of elected officials, governments and international bodies have thus denounced the strikes as ‘illegal.’ But why focus on the strikes’ illegality in the first place? After all, one could just as easily condemn the strikes for their cruelty. The strikes have torn apart families from across Latin America, depriving them — forever — of husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. ” (09/02/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/6064098-aclu-lawsuit-wrongful-deaths/
- MacIntyre’s Common Good
Source: Law & Liberty
by Rachel Lu“Alasdair MacIntyre was a political animal, or so one naturally assumes. He was at any rate an Aristotelian, and since Aristotle declared man to be the zoon politikon (‘political animal’), it seems safe to say that MacIntyre thought of himself as one such. Nevertheless, for much of his life he was deeply reluctant to enter into political discourse. In youth, he was (in)famously a Marxist. Eventually he broke with the socialists and made his way to Aristotelian Thomism. He spent decades writing on the incoherence of modern moral theory, giving considerable attention along the way to action theory, the virtues, and the history of philosophy. But he largely eschewed political discourse, to the frustration of political theorists who hoped to enlist him as an ally.” (09/02/26)
- The Texas Trotsky? Talarico Declares Capitalism an “Oppressive System” that “Must Be Dismantled”
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Senate Democrat nominee James Talarico appears ready to bring a touch of Trotsky to Texas. In a video from a climate forum, Talarico is shown declaring capitalism an ‘oppressive system’ linked with white supremacy and that it must be ‘dismantled’ to achieve a better world. It is reminiscent of Leon Trotsky, who denounced the ‘fundamental evil of the capitalist system’ and called on citizens to free themselves from its oppression. The Democratic Socialists of America and radical sites have long called ‘to dismantle the capitalist state’. As a state representative, Talarico addressed the 2020 climate conference by the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club [and] roused the crowd with an attack on capitalism: ‘I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country.'” (09/02/26)
- Study: Even Well-Intentioned Regulators Do More Harm Than Good
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“It’s both common and accurate to point out that many people who go into government are control freaks motivated by the desire to exercise power over others, or else driven by self-interest to profit from control of the reins of government. But a new study points out that even when government officials are sincere and intend to make the world a better place, they often cause more harm than good.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/02/study-even-well-intentioned-regulators-do-more-harm-than-good/
- Ironic Inheritance: How Andrew Carnegie’s Millions Still Underwrite the Academy
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith“Academics may distrust concentrated private wealth, but their retirement system owes its origins to one of history’s great industrial fortunes.” (09/02/26)
- Data centers are blowing the PR game. Here’s how to fix that.
Source: Washington Post
by Taylor Budowich“When many teachers in Richland Parish, Louisiana, opened this year’s annual bonus checks, they found them 400 percent larger than last year — reaching up to $50,000, nearly a full year’s pay in one of the poorest corners of one of America’s poorest states. The bulk of the money came from the tax revenue of a single source: the five-gigawatt data center that Meta is building in Richland Parish. … Most Americans haven’t heard that story. What they have heard instead is that data centers will guzzle their water and spike their power bills — and our politics now reflect that. … AI supporters are losing the argument not because the facts aren’t on their side, but because they keep reaching for the wrong facts — gigawatts, capital expenditure, the race with China — in making their case. Here are three rules for AI companies, and the policymakers who support them, to win the argument that follows.” (09/02/26)
- How Neoliberals Fueled the Rise of Socialism
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe“The rising popularity of politicians on the American left who either explicitly identify as socialist or, at least, don’t shy away from or disavow the term appears to be causing genuine concern within the Washington establishment. That is, of course, entirely justified. Socialism is profoundly unjust and destructive. … However, the concern we’re seeing from the neoliberal and neoconservative establishment is frustrating. Because the political order that they have built and preserved over the last half century has made the growing popularity of this kind of ‘democratic socialism’ all but inevitable.” (09/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-neoliberals-fueled-rise-socialism
- Are Centrist [sic] Democrats Too Racist [sic] to Compete in Michigan?
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper“I have a question about the critical Michigan Senate race: Are centrist Democratic officials and pundits going to spend the next 60 days loudly making the Republican Party’s arguments for them? The last week has seen a meltdown over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee. The controversy involves the Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is not an elected official, or a candidate for anything, or a member of El-Sayed’s campaign, but did appear with him during the primary at a few events. Piker made some comments on a Twitch stream (more on that in a moment) that provided a convenient pretext for Republicans to whip up a frenzy of anti-Muslim bigotry and smear El-Sayed by association. Most Democrats did not join in, but many did, including some in leadership positions.” (09/02/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/02/are-centrist-democrats-too-racist-to-compete-in-michigan/
- Debt Jubilees Only Change Who Pays
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge“A debt jubilee can erase an obligation on paper, but it cannot erase the underlying economic cost.” (09/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/debt-jubilees-only-change-who-pays/
- Trump’s White House Ballroom Is a Monument to His Lawlessness
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum“By unilaterally razing and replacing the East Wing, the president again shows his disregard for the rule of law and the separation of powers.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/02/trumps-white-house-ballroom-is-a-monument-to-his-lawlessness/
- Israel’s politics pivot to shared good health
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Yoav Segalovitz, a Zionist politician from a centrist Jewish party, shook up Israeli politics on Monday. He announced he would run in the Oct. 27 parliamentary elections as a top-tier candidate with Ra’am, a party representing Israel’s large Arab population. His surprise leap across a deep social divide could help Ra’am win enough seats in the Knesset to influence who becomes the next prime minister, possibly shifting Israel’s role in the Middle East. A recent poll showed that more than half of voters who oppose the current government would support including Ra’am with Mr. Segalovitz in a possible coalition. While such political leverage remains to be seen, it was Mr. Segalovitz’s reasons for joining Ra’am – an abbreviation for United Arab List – that also caught much of the public’s attention.” (09/01/26)
- MAGA Didn’t Vote For War With Iran
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Jack Hunter“Do you remember over the course of the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections when Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ movement promised to launch the United States into yet another Middle Eastern war, this time with Iran? No? No one does. Because it didn’t happen. ‘When I’m back in the White House, we will expel the warmongers, the profiteers, and take over our government and we will restore world peace,’ Trump said during a National Guard Association speech in August 2024 to cheers and applause.” [editor’s note: And everyone who cared one way or another about honesty knew he was a lying sack of crap long before he got elected the first time, let alone the second. He didn’t fool anyone; they fooled themselves, and have only themselves to blame – TLK] (09/02/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/maga-didnt-vote-for-war-with-iran/
- Why the $40 Trillion Debt isn’t the Real Threat
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“The $40 trillion debt point naturally prompted much griping among pundits, many of whom see their job as promoting hysteria in order to justify cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other popular social programs. As is clear to anyone not on the payroll of the rich and very rich [or, you know, familiar with basic economics – TLK], the debt is overwhelmingly the result of tax cuts, mostly to high earners, put in place by Presidents Reagan, Bush II, and Trump. Unfortunately, confusion on the debt can spread even among the sane.” (09/02/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/02/why-the-40-trillion-debt-isnt-the-real-threat/
- Why the DSA’s agenda actually promises misery for all
Source: New York Post
by staff“The Democratic Socialists of America are proving an old principle of politics: You can win a lot of votes by promising ‘free stuff’ — and not worrying if you could possibly deliver. Analyst Adam Michel of the free-market Cato Institute just tallied up the DSA’s agenda, and guess what: ‘The entire wealth of the richest Americans, plus every dollar of corporate profit and maximum top income tax rates’ fails to pay for the socialist program. The DSA vows to provide universal health care (cost to the government: $29.9 trillion to $75.4 trillion over the next decade), slavery reparations ($13.5 trillion to $28 trillion), jobs guarantees ($4.4 trillion to $60.4 trillion), housing for all ($3.4 trillion to $16.6 trillion) and several other big-ticket goodies. The mind-blowing total: $71.2 trillion to $211.6 trillion, spiking federal spending to 57% of GDP on the low end, and 92% on the high end.” (09/01/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/09/01/opinion/why-the-dsas-agenda-actually-promises-misery-for-all/
- Hurting Everyday Iranians Doesn’t Help American Interests
Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day“Amid public discontent and warnings from Pentagon leaders that the Iran War undermines military readiness, President Donald Trump has settled on a new strategy: lower the temperature on military hostilities and focus instead on strangling Iran’s economy. Middle East experts told The American Conservative that this approach won’t fundamentally change Tehran’s own military strategy, at least not in ways congenial to American interests. Moreover, in practice it is leading to skirmishes centered around the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. aims to blockade Iranian ports while securing free transit for allied countries. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians face dire threats to their livelihoods, as revealed by first-hand testimonies shared with TAC.” (09/02/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/hurting-everyday-iranians-doesnt-help-american-interests/
- After 1989
Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia“The current crisis of democracy was not inevitable, but a result of hubris and shortsightedness among generations of statesmen.” (09/01/26)
- Why the Flock Backlash Has Gotten So Intense
Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham“Labeling the anger at Flock as a reaction to ever-present surveillance in contemporary society seems accurate, but this doesn’t explain why it’s happening right now. Not only has Flock been around for some time, but ALPRs are even older. My colleague Conor Friedersdorf was sounding the alarm a decade ago. ‘Your diminished privacy is their product. And the police are their customers,’ he wrote in January 2016. Some anger focuses on governments that spend huge amounts (including money obtained through opioid settlements whose funds were earmarked for community aid) on technology during a moment of economic worry. More damaging to Flock’s reputation has been a series of cases of police officers allegedly abusing their access to the system to stalk people, typically current or former love interests.” (09/01/26)
- Trump plan to control Venezuelan oil has more holes than Swiss cheese
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Orlando Pérez“The Pentagon could find itself underwriting risky loans to put Caracas'[s] petroleum infrastructure back on track.” (09/01/26)
- Debunking the “Crisis” of Sea Level Rise
Source: American Greatness
by Edward Ring“Whenever a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world that can be connected in some way with the alleged climate crisis, out come the professionals to make that connection. From the federally funded NPR, ‘A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this.’ From CBC, ‘Scientists fear Nepal’s disaster is just a glimpse of the carnage climate change could cause.’ And from BBC, ‘Nepal calls for ‘global effort’ to address climate change after devastating flash floods.’ This is just a taste of the media consensus, backed by scientists whose careers and credibility are built on perpetuating the panic. But what exactly would constitute a ‘global effort’ to address climate change? And here again, business professionals and politicians step in, and the results are laughable.” (09/02/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/09/02/debunking-the-crisis-of-sea-level-rise/
- Mass murder and hung juries
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“As we write this, it technically is not a hung jury, under Massachusetts judicial procedure, though the first report by the jury that they could not come to a unanimous decision, the judge could and did send them back to deliberate more. This apparently can be done twice before it is officially a ‘hung jury.'” (09/01/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/09/01/mass-murder-and-hung-juries/
- In the Name of Security
Source: In These Times
by Khawla Nakua“When Karla Padilla started her sentence at the federal correctional institution in Dublin, Calif., in 2023, a guard singled her out. Over the next 15 months, the guard strip-searched Padilla so frequently that anyone near her risked being searched too, and other inmates began keeping their distance whenever that guard was on shift. Most prisons across the country conduct strip searches under a federal policy that requires women officers to inspect incarcerated women. The officer instructs them to remove their clothes, shake their hair, open their mouths, lift their breasts or genital area and then bend, squat and cough. On one particularly cold day in November 2023, while Padilla was cleaning the chapel, the guard demanded that Padilla strip for a search in full view of four male guards stationed there.” (09/01/26)
- NFL Fans Get the Fun—Taxpayers Get the Bill
Source: Independent Institute
by Alex Tokarev & Noel Tokarev“After 30 painful weeks of waiting, the NFL season is back. Once again, America gets three things it can count on: Sunday night football (pastors, avoid long sermons), Monday-morning quarterbacking, and politicians pretending to be experts in stadium economics. Chicago, Kansas City, and Buffalo offer three variations on the same old scam. Corporate fat cats who own professional sports teams demand multibillion-dollar facilities. With good friends in high places, the rich are conspiring to force the taxpayers to pick up the tab.” (09/01/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/09/01/nfl-fans-get-the-fun-taxpayers-get-the-bill/
- Flock cameras aren’t “compromise;” they’re gross overreach
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Abigail R Hall & Patrik S Ward“When Shively Police Officer Asad Zahir was arrested for improperly using Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reader, it added yet another data point to the growing list of state and local police abusing surveillance technologies. … Zahir is accused of carrying out more than 2,000 unauthorized searches to monitor and target his ex-girlfriend. More than 240 of these searches occurred while Zahir had an active order of protection against him. … The response of the Shively Police Department and other local officials is even more troubling. While discussing the arrest, officials were quick to frame Zahir’s arrest as a triumph of internal oversight and as the direct result of individual malfeasance. … Without a doubt, the individuals who abuse these technologies deserve blame and should be prosecuted. But the ‘few bad apples’ defense conveniently shifts public attention away from much deeper problems.” (09/01/26)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/flock-cameras-arent-compromise-theyre-gross-overreach/
- Dog Bites Man: Florida Pols Rigged an Election Using Stolen Taxpayer Money
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“In 2024, Floridians voted, by a margin of 55.9% to 44.1%, to legalize recreational marijuana. Unfortunately, the threshold for passage of ‘Amendment 3’ was 60% and the measure failed. So far so bad … but it gets worse. Nearly two years later we’ve learned that state government officials misappropriated millions of dollars in taxpayer money; funneled it through a charity founded by governor Ron DeSantis’s wife and into Republican PACs operated by the man who later became the state’s attorney general, with the approval of the then sitting attorney general, now a US Senator; and poured it into a campaign to defeat the measure. We know this because someone leaked a grand jury report on the matter to CBS News Miami.” (09/01/26)
- Why is the Chinese government dictating who speaks at a religious event in Texas?
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin“In the United States, campus speakers, online expression, blockbuster movies, and printed books are all, of course, protected by the First Amendment. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re protected against influence and censorship by foreign powers, particularly the Chinese government. This censorship may go under the radar for many Americans, but make no mistake: It can influence not just what you encounter in the secular world, but maybe the spiritual one, too. A report this week from the National Catholic Register paints a disturbing picture: A U.S.-based Catholic organization chose to disinvite a speaker from its conference at the University of St. Thomas in Houston after facing direct pressure from Chinese officials. Apparently even the speaker lists at religious events in the U.S. cannot escape pressure from foreign officials who vest in themselves the authority to censor the world.” (09/01/26)
- The framing of Chris Duncan
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko“In April 2025, Louisiana District Court Judge Alvin Sharp declared Duncan innocent of the crime for which he’d been convicted and sentenced to death nearly 30 years earlier. It would take another seven months before he was finally released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola. … Duncan was arrested in 1993 for raping and murdering Haley Oliveaux, the 23-month-old daughter of his girlfriend. … Duncan had no history of sex offenses or abusing children. He was convicted primarily because of testimony from Steven Hayne — a now-disgraced medical examiner who performed the vast majority of autopsies in Mississippi for two decades — and his sidekick Michael West, a notorious forensics fraud best known for finding ‘bite marks’ and matching them to alleged perpetrators. Duncan is the ninth person to be exonerated after being convicted with testimony from Hayne, West, or both.” (09/01/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-framing-of-chris-duncan
- Congress Reformed Welfare. Bureaucrats Regrew It Anyway
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jeffery L Degner‘Voters demanded the 1996 welfare reform law that limited eligibility and emphasized work. Since then, executive agencies have used their discretion to quietly loosen those rules.” (09/01/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/congress-reformed-welfare-bureaucrats-regrew-it-anyway/
- Fears of a Canadian trade war are overblown; so far, it’s more of a skirmish
Source: Fox News Forum
by EJ Antoni“Listening to most of the media and Canada’s prime minister, you’d think the U.S. and its northern neighbor were in a full-blown trade war after new tariffs were announced days ago. Au contraire: Anyone who checks the numbers can see this is merely a skirmish. On Aug. 22, the administration’s Section 338 tariffs took effect, at 50% on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, or about 5% of what Canada sells the U.S. Ottawa’s answer, effective Sept. 8, will be varying tariffs on roughly $20 billion of American exports to Canada, about 6% of what Canada buys from the U.S. While tariffs on $40 billion aren’t chump change, they’re a small portion of the roughly $900 billion in products and services that are exchanged across the U.S.-Canadian border annually.” (09/01/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/fears-canadian-trade-war-overblown-skirmish
- Putin and Trump refuse to accept the realities of their wars
Source: The Hill
by Harlan Ullman“Presidents do not like hearing bad news. CIA Director John Ratcliffe went to Moscow to brief Russian counterparts on the U.S. assessment of the state of the war in Ukraine. The news could not have been good. Even if Ukraine is not winning the war, its costs to Russia in blood and treasure have been extraordinary. Now, Russia’s energy infrastructure is being increasingly shut down. Suppose Russian President Vladimir Putin reversed the favor, sending Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergey Naryshkin to brief President Trump on America’s ‘excursion’ into Iran. Imagine how that would go down if Naryshkin relayed the reality? Trump would be apoplectic. … Neither Trump nor Putin respond well to negative feedback. Few presidents do.” (09/01/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/6062270-presidents-rejecting-bad-news/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/02/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why Did The U.S. Attack A ‘Failed State’ With ‘No Military’ That Already ‘Lost?'” (09/02/26)
- The Science of Politics, 07/02/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Why neither party is fiscally responsible.” (09/02/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-neither-party-is-fiscally-responsible/
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 09/02/26
Source: Politico
“Trump’s data center defense.” (09/02/26)
- The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman, 09/02/26
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“The Battle for American Identity (with Ben Rhodes).” (09/02/26)
- Reasonably Optimistic, 09/02/26
Source: Washington Post
“The myths fueling America’s AI data center backlash.” (09/02/26)
- Reason Interview: Stephanie Slade
Source: Reason
“Why the Right Is Embracing State Power.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/09/02/why-the-right-is-embracing-state-power/
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
Source: The Dispatch
“Does Trump Understand Tariffs? | Interview: Anthony Scaramucci.” (09/01/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/does-trump-understand-tariffs-interview-anthony-scaramucci/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/01/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Launches Airstrikes Across Iran’s Southern Coast, Israel Conducts Ground Raid in Gaza, and More.” (09/01/26)
- Politics Politics Politics, 09/01/26
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Will the GOP Leave DC Already? What You Should Be Watching For in Iran (with Riley Blanton).” (09/01/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/will-the-gop-leave-dc-already-what
- Nonzero, 09/01/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War | Robert Wright & Paul Scharre.” (09/01/26)
- Capital Record, episode 319
Source: National Review
“Uncle Sam, The Oil Tycoon.” (09/01/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/uncle-sam-the-oil-tycoon/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 09/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“China Blows Up Trump’s Economic War on Iran.” (09/01/26)
- Free Speech Unmuted, 09/01/26
Source: Hoover Institution
“The Process Is The Punishment: ABC v. FCC With Stuart Benjamin.” (09/01/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/01/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“The Politics of AI Data Centers – Suddenly a Big Deal?.” (09/01/26)
- Rising, 09/01/26
Source: The Hill
‘Robby Soave delivers his radar on the president’s online defense of data centers and his warning about allowing China to surpass the U.S. in the race to lead AI development.” (09/01/26)
- Trump Watch, 09/01/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Pentagon Socialism in Venezuela.” (09/01/26)
- Law & Liberty Podcast, 09/01/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“Fusionism’s First Principles — with Stephanie Slade, hosted by James M. Patterson.” (09/01/26)
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 09/01/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“I’m joined today by Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos for a rollicking discussion of the madness that has seized the American political class.” (09/01/16)
- Advisory Opinions, 09/01/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Has the First Amendment Ever Been More Relevant?” (09/01/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/has-the-first-amendment-ever-been-more-relevant/
- AI, Culture, and the Italian Renaissance
Source: Cobden Centre
“In this talk I [Max Rangeley] go through what we can learn from various Italian princes for the age of AI. Will we enter a new age of polymaths, science and beautiful architecture? Or will AI slop overwhelm civilization and be the final ghastly episode of modern brain rot?” (09/01/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/09/speech-in-florence-on-ai-culture-and-the-italian-renaissance/